One arrested, one still sought, after drive-by shooting in Pittsgrove

PITTSGROVE TWP. — One man has been arrested and one has yet to be apprehended following a shooting in the Brotmanville section of the township just after midnight Thursday morning, according to state police.

Police responded to a Gershal Avenue residence at 12:17 a.m. after neighbors reported hearing one or two gunshots. There were no injuries.

Once on the scene, three males — who were standing in the roadway in front of the residence — informed police that the driver of a red PT Cruiser fired a weapon at them through the window of the vehicle before fleeing the scene and heading westward on Almond Avenue.

The driver, according to police, was William J. Miller, 20, of Pittsgrove.

None of the victims were injured in the shooting, which police are referring to as an aggravated assault incident.

The identities of the men shot at, ages 19, 18, and one juvenile, were not released by police.

Police believe the shooting was out of retaliation for a prior physical altercation.

State police troopers and detectives from the Bridgeton barracks continued investigating the crime throughout the day Thursday and were able to identify one of the suspects as Miller.

Miller was apprehended at a Henry Avenue residence and placed under arrest at approximately 3:30 p.m. While undergoing a search, he was found to be in possession of 25 grams of marijuana.

During his interview at the Bridgeton station, Miller allegedly confessed to his role in the shooting and was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Miller was lodged in the county jail in lieu of $50,000 bail for his role in the shooting.

He was also charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana for the marijuana that was seized during the search. He was not jailed for this charge, which is pending a court date.

During the investigation, the police recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

Police are still searching for a passenger that was in the PT Cruiser.

The shooting occurred just three months after the establishment of the Brotmanville Crime Watch, which was created in an effort to monitor area slumlords and the people they allow to inhabit their properties.

Mayor Pete Voros is confident the new crime watch will be successful despite the recent activity.

“What happened is very terrible, but I am sure this was just an isolated incident,” said Voros. “Unfortunately there are guns and bad people out there that we can not always stop from coming into our neighborhood.”